Technocracy ->
Periodicals ->
Technocracy Digest ->
Q2, 96 #320 ->
A Vanishing Species -- And We're Talking About People!
|
Technocracy ->
Periodicals ->
Technocracy Digest ->
Q2, 96 #320 ->
A Vanishing Species -- And We're Talking About People!
|
Search |
Published in:
In the late '60s my father lost his position as a well-paid business executive. A conglomerate bought out the company he helped run and did not want the old guard around. They paid him well to ``retire'' although they dragged out the process for months during which he found himself writing reports that went unread, getting mixed messages, and generally being made to feel extraneous and unwanted. This is after years of dedicated service; even our family vacations involved stopping at this dealer's, meeting that business acquaintance's family, seeing a new store or supplier. He had worked incredibly long and hard.
I remember my mother seeking our solicitations: ``It is very difficult for a man in his fifties who has been well-paid to get another job. Nobody wants to hire such a person to be just an accountant. Nobody would expect him to function well in a position which commands little power. This is really rough for him.''
At that same time I had just graduated from college and was looking for work myself. My own prospects as a woman answering ``women's want ads'' were horrifyingly bad. It would have been nice if we (my father and I) could have commiserated. But he had been brought up in a culture which dictated that he never flinch, master of all he surveyed. I, on the other hand, had been brought up in an environment that discriminated against women. I must admit I was feeling more sorry for myself than I did for my father.
So we stoically went forward. He failed to find work and opened a small business which prospered for a while but left him dusting shelves. I found periodic employment at abysmal jobs; after several years and twice that many jobs; I returned to school to get more good grades and then return to the same lousy job market; although, by that time, the courts had declared gender-specific want ads to be unconstitutional. By then my father, age 57, had severe brain damage and was institutionalized. At this point, I felt more sorry for him than I did for myself.
These generically unhappy stories have been repeated a few million times in the United States. Talents wasted. Experience insulted and abandoned. I am sure none of the stories are simple....maybe my father could have tried something else; maybe I could have trained to be a physical therapist instead of an English major. Who knows? But one factor that has remained constant is: there were not (and are not) enough jobs to go around. And wouldn't it be something if there were enough decent jobs to go around?
The situation of relegating older employees to the scrap heap has escalated since my father lost his job. Companies are cutting costs in salaries and benefits. Management is increasingly expendable. ``Experience'', contrary to being valued, is often a threat. More than we like to think, companies want employees who are reliable but uncreative, doing anonymous jobs. Because business is largely run for short term profit, the voices of experience that might criticize companies, have long-standing relationships with other workers, or elucidate serious problems, are best silenced.
Dyed hair, self-esteem, and positive thinking do not change the unemployment statistics. They may stand as testimony that you will knock yourself out harder, longer, faster than the other guy; and you may end up doing just that if you get the job over so many others.
There are still fewer elderly women than men in the work force. It has been implied that women have been filling some of the jobs denied men. I am sure that is true as women make less money, expect less advantages, and have few, if any, alternatives. It has also been alleged ``Women are more used to handling life transitions.'' Is this because they have so many more unpleasant life transitions?
Another small bone that sticks from many articles is the contention that young workers produce more than older workers. If hype, brawn, or hustle are major factors in that production, yes, young workers probably can produce faster. But so much of what older workers have to offer is undervalued, to our detriment.
Things are rough, as my mother said. I contend they are rough for men and women, old and young. As long as we are tied to the ``Price System'' and its artificial scarcity, there are not going to be enough jobs and many of the jobs will be undesirable.
Technocracy developed a plan sixty years ago that bears close study. Its study showed that as time passed, we would reach such a point of disarray that we would have to introduce an entirely different social structure. We are close to that point.
The Design will not be reviewed here, but as for jobs, a few words will suffice. Probably in the Design, even the word ``jobs'' will disappear from usage. All will find their own niche in giving service to society through choosing the unit (sequence) in which to give this service. Since no reward in the form of a ``pay check'' or other financial remuneration will be forthcoming, the concept of working takes on an entirely different meaning. Maybe even the word ``work'' will disappear from usage. Indeed, the Design Technocracy proposes, if initiated, brings a whole new meaning to life.
We have the knowledge and resources to structure society in a much different way, giving respect to life, and distributing the responsibilities and rewards sanely.